J.D. Power Global Automotive Blog

J.D. Power’s Humphrey Offers Brighter Outlook for Global Auto Market

phillym — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:57:34 +0000

Leslie Cocco

The global automotive industry, including North America, is better able to keep production in line with demand than in the past, according to John Humphrey, senior vice president and general manager of J.D. Power’s global auto operations. John told participants at our 2012 International Automotive Roundtable today that J.D. Power . . . Continue Reading J.D. Power’s Humphrey Offers Brighter Outlook for Global Auto Market

Satisfaction with Auto Insurers Remains Stable despite Rise in Filed Claims

phillym — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:57:09 +0000

Jeremy Bowler

Although there was an increase in auto insurance claims in the U.S. during the fourth quarter of 2011 due to weather-related damage—which led to higher volumes at repair shops and longer repair times—overall customer satisfaction with the claims experience remained stable, according to our latest 2012 Auto Claims Satisfaction Study—Wave 1.

. . . Continue Reading Satisfaction with Auto Insurers Remains Stable despite Rise in Filed Claims

Chrysler and VW Groups, Mazda Post Jackpot US Sales Increases in January

phillym — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:43:48 +0000

Although January often is the weakest sales month of the year in the US auto market, many automakers posted double-digit sales gains over the same month in 2010, indicating a good beginning for 2012. It appears that total light-vehicle sales might rise by more than 11% over January 2011 and that would translate to a . . . Continue Reading Chrysler and VW Groups, Mazda Post Jackpot US Sales Increases in January

More US New-Vehicle Deals Included a Trade-In in 2011

phillym — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:16:57 +0000

Grace Hamulic

More new-vehicle buyers in the US market replaced and traded in their aging models in 2011 than in 2010, based on a profile of demographic data from retail transactions with vehicle age and trade-in information collected by J.D. Power’s Power Information Network® (PIN).

More than one-half (52.7%) of mass-market, or non-luxury, . . . Continue Reading More US New-Vehicle Deals Included a Trade-In in 2011

Avoidance of Domestic Models in US Market Dips to Low Point

phillym — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:19:44 +0000

Jon Osborn

The percentage of new-vehicle buyers in the US market who avoided considering domestic models due to their origin has declined to just 6%—which is a historically low level, according to our 2012 Avoider Study, which includes responses from more than 24,000 owners who registered a new vehicle in May, 2011. At . . . Continue Reading Avoidance of Domestic Models in US Market Dips to Low Point

US New-Vehicle Buyers Avoid Certain Brands Due to Perception

phillym — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:17:38 +0000

Jon Osborn

New-vehicle buyers’ perceptions of a vehicle’s reliability have consistently been major reasons for avoiding a particular brand or model, according to J.D. Power research.

Our recent 2012 Avoider Study finds that, among buyers who avoid a specific model due to concerns about quality and reliability, some 43% say they based their . . . Continue Reading US New-Vehicle Buyers Avoid Certain Brands Due to Perception

Acura Earns Highest Score in Website Evaluation Study

phillym — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:46:12 +0000

Acura’s website ranks highest in usefulness in the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study (MWES)SM—Wave 1. The premium brand website receives a score of 808 (on a 1,000-point scale), and performs particularly well in two of the four index measures: navigation and speed.*

Seven of the 19 websites that receive scores above . . . Continue Reading Acura Earns Highest Score in Website Evaluation Study

Many of the Most Useful OEM Websites Integrate Social Media Throughout

phillym — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:47:51 +0000

Arianne Walker

The most useful automotive websites tend to provide users with social media access from a variety of pages, including the home page, model pages, configurator tool and photo gallery, according to results in our 2012 Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study (MWES)—Wave 1, which is based on evaluations from more than 9,400 shoppers . . . Continue Reading Many of the Most Useful OEM Websites Integrate Social Media Throughout

US Auto Sales Retain Momentum in First Weeks of January

phillym — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:01:29 +0000

During the first half of January,* U.S. car and light-truck sales were stronger than in the same period of January a year ago, which is good news for the industry following last year’s robust finish, according to J.D. Power’s monthly sales update based on analysis of retail transaction data collected by our Power Information . . . Continue Reading US Auto Sales Retain Momentum in First Weeks of January

Foreign Partners Still Control Branding in China R&D and Lineups

phillym — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:30:20 +0000

Jenny Gu

Soaring demand for luxury vehicles in China has seen many premium brands make the country their second home. Land Rover may be the next premium brand to begin local production, following on the path taken by Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Even automakers without a strong foothold in China are increasingly eyeing . . . Continue Reading Foreign Partners Still Control Branding in China R&D and Lineups